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The Muscle and Brawn Forum is dedicated to no nonsense muscle and strength building. If you need advice that works, you have come to the right place. This forum focuses on building strength and muscle using the basics. You will also find that the Muscle and Brawn community stresses encouragement and respect. Trolls and name calling are not allowed here. No matter what your personal goals are, you will be given effective advice that produces results.

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1. Thou shalt pass no lift
There is no such thing as depth. Like Big Foot, no one has ever seen it, and no one ever will. No matter how good the lift appears to be, there is always room for criticism. This holds true for all three lifts.

2. Thou shalt remain anonymous
This is a no-brainer. Why would you want to be accountable for anything you post? It would be difficult to obtain free help or merchandise from lifters or companies if they knew what you actually say about them. An alias is a must. Usually a homoerotic misspelling of your favorite lifter’s name works best.

3. Thou shalt not compete or post thy own numbers
Never compete. Why put your reputation on the line and subject yourself to your own standards?
Never post your actual numbers. Your 225-lb bench may earn you a round of high fives at the local fitness center, but it won’t garner any respect from actual lifters. It’s perfectly acceptable to post outrageous numbers you lifted “back in the day.” For some degree of credibility, keep your numbers under current world records. When someone calls BS on you—which they will—and you have to explain your 315-lb deadlift, have a list of prepared career ending injuries to explain your current weakness. Beat up shoulders for the bench, bad knees for squats, and low back injury for the deadlift are tried and true. This same smart ass will want proof of what you did in a meet. Tell him your total was at a small, unsanctioned meet back east years ago, but a lifetime of self-abuse has permanently damaged your memory and you can’t remember minor details such as the venue or date. When in doubt, refer to commandment seven.

4. Thou shalt always give thy opinion
It’s your duty to give your opinion on anything and everything regardless of your knowledge or lack of on the subject. You’re always right. Others just don’t realize it. There is no other opinion but yours. The more incorrect your opinion is, the more you should assert it. Remember, there is a direct link between post count and intelligence. This especially holds true on the subject of training. It’s perfectly acceptable to alter tried and true programs and cite their ineffectiveness based on a single two-week cycle. Feel free to point out flaws in the training and technique of elite lifters.

5. Thou shalt contradict
You should contradict everything and everyone, including yourself, even in the same thread. This helps to sow the seeds of confusion, especially on subjects about training. If asking a question, be sure to pick apart every aspect of the answer. The more experienced your adversary, the more viscous your attack. Keep it polite at first. You don’t want to scare him off. Slowly build up to the obnoxious ass you know you can be. When in doubt, refer to commandment seven.

6. Thou shalt use correct grammar and spelling, usually
The beginner troll likes to rely on the caps lock or obvious spelling errors, and while this might trigger reflex actions from the grammar police and spelling Nazis, it will never lure in the sophisticated poster, An elite level troll knows that a careful wrong use of a word or subtle misspelling can draw out even the most troll savvy poster who just can’t resist the chance to correct you, especially if you keep an on-line log everyone knows but no one reads.

7. Thou shalt question sexual orientation
When confronted, called out, or proved wrong or when you’re in a hurry and can’t think of a good comeback, question your opponent’s sexual orientation for no reason. This trumps any response and shows everyone just how hardcore you really are. There is no way to come back from this.

8. Thou shalt be fruitful and multiple thy accounts
You must have multiple, dedicated troll accounts ready for your inevitable deletion. There are times when you will be detected or even revealed. Know when to move on to the next screen name.

9. Thou shalt not suffer the gear whore among thee
No other topic, except maybe federation wars, can stir the pot as much as equipped versus raw. The raw zealot, while shouting “drug free for life,” is quick to recognize the fact that gear instantly doubles your total. Throw in a different kind of gear and it renders training a mere formality.

10. Thou are hardcore
In any forum, you make the rules. No one can withstand your fury. Feel free to throw your weight around and intimidate whoever you please, knowing that if you strictly adhere to commandment number two, you will never have to back it up.

I once had some nameless shmoe neg rep me because I advised a young trainee to do squats. This schmoe went off the rails on me. I then checked his image gallery. He looked like he weighed 150 soaking wet.

One of the good things that's developing on this forum is that people log and talk about their accomplishments, so we respect one another, and know that each other is capable.

There are many ways to lift a weight, but I respect the man with the discipline to continue to do so.

Haha. You'd be surprised how many people think I'm full of shit when I tell them I weigh, well, depending on the time of the year, between 175 and 195. They can believe 175, but when I say anything over 180, they look at me like I'm nuts.....not saying that 185 is "big" by any means, but to "normal" people, it's the same as saying I weigh 200+. lol

Haha. You'd be surprised how many people think I'm full of shit when I tell them I weigh, well, depending on the time of the year, between 175 and 195. They can believe 175, but when I say anything over 180, they look at me like I'm nuts.....not saying that 185 is "big" by any means, but to "normal" people, it's the same as saying I weigh 200+. lol

Yeah, 150 or 195, you look like you workout. He looked like a 150 grocery bagger at the local grocery store. And I know from your blog and posts that you know what you're talking about.

A lean 180 isn't bad at all. Many lean naturals only have 15 or so pounds of muscle on you. It's amazing what an extra 10-15 pounds does.